Estimates on gun ownership in Venezuela range from 1 million to 6 million, and circulation was unregulated until last year. President Maduro recently signed a law that would create a strict gun permitting process.

Venezuela's electoral council confirmed Maduro’s presidential victory, but the decision will do little to ease the political crisis. The opposition says it will bring fraud charges before international courts.

Fireworks and clanging pots and pans are Venezuela's post presidential election soundtrack. Tensions have been steadily rising since the electoral council announced Maduro's slim victory over Capriles.

Interim President Nicolás Maduro has spoken publicly about conspiracies ranging from murder plots to Salvadoran mercenaries. They serve as a political tool to unify the population and silence criticism.

As Venezuela prepares to elect a new president, the focus has turned to whether Chávez's legacy – a petroleum-fueled political-economic system he referred to as socialism for the 21st century – can last.